Career Services :: Job Info :: Personal requirements

Career Services :: Job Info :: Personal requirements
Skills & Knowledge
Curators need to have:

knowledge of the subject area they work with such as art, history or zoology
knowledge of display techniques
good research skills
knowledge of up to date theories and research methods
ability to use a collections database
knowledge of the conservation and preservation of items in the collection
understanding of how to seek funding
communication and public relations skills
understanding of how to seek funding
ability to negotiate and persuade, particularly when sourcing items for an exhibition
excellent writing skills
creative ability
time management skills.

Curators have to know how to handle items correctly
Bob Maysmor selecting photos to use in a displayPersonal Qualities

"You need the ability to work in a team, but also to fight for what you believe in or for the artists' rights."
Claire Regnault, Curator
Curators need to be:

able to make good judgements about quality
accurate and methodical, with an eye for detail
enquiring
persistent and motivated
able to accept criticism
able to visualise exhibits for their design and think creatively
able to work well in a team and interact well with others.
Curators also need to have a high degree of maturity and integrity because they are often dealing with personal or valuable items.

Physical Requirements
Curators need to be able to speak clearly, and they should have good eyesight (with or without corrective lenses), normal colour vision and a neat and tidy appearance. Curators at smaller galleries or museums may be required to do more physical work, such as painting walls or lifting objects, than curators at larger institutes with more support staff.